Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Crimson Apocalypse
by JJSliderman
Summary: Ever wanted to see what happened when the 6 Signers abandoned their marks? Dark times. All of the threats from the past have reemerged under the banner of a new leader, and now it is up to a new hero, the grandson of Duel Academy's hero Jaden Yuki, named Dan Yuki, and a new generation of Signers, to save the world once more
1. Beginnings

The Satellite Sector. Once a cold, dark, forgotten offshoot of New Domino City created after the Zero Reverse incident years ago, the city had transformed into a lively, bustling utopia in constant connection with the city, all thanks to the Daedalus Bridge, a massive monument constructed in honor of the previous director, Rex Goodwin. Now everyone was traveling across it day in and day out, in cars, or in most cases, Duel Runners, to get to their jobs, families, and livelihoods.

But then there were those times when just riding a Duel Runner wasn't enough. It yearned for a greater purpose, as it's deck holder and duel disk features flapped lazily along the sides, patiently awaiting that moment when the field spell Speed World 2 was activated. Only then did they blaze to life, as two wheel warriors clashed souls over and over again, a few inches away from splattering onto the pavement if they made so much as one mistake while riding their Runners.

And yet for Dan Yuki, living in the quiet suburbs of the Satellite, this dream seemed rather out of reach. Every day he sat on the steps outside his porch, gazing at the streets as Duel Runners by the hundreds passed by, their riders waving to him as they moved along, and he desired more than anything to just get off the porch and jump onto their Runners and ride away to New Domino.

But he couldn't.

Because every time, he was reminded of the fact that his grandfather, Jaden Yuki, was still incredibly sick, and on the verge of dying. And so he had to stay close and help his father take care of Jaden every day, bringing the old duelist the best broths of chicken soup he could make, as well as some medicine from the corner store. They tried to get Jaden to take the medicine, but he was always adamant on refusing, preferring to clutch his now tattered and faded deck of Elemental Heroes above all else.

 _"I was born as a duelist, and I'll die as a duelist!"_ Jaden lashed out, before suffering another round of coughing fits as he was forced to lay down.

 _"Hmph! Duelist this, and heart of the cards that! And look where it's gotten him!"_ ranted Sandra Yuki, Dan's mother. _"I hope that you never turn out like that, Dan! Why couldn't he have just been a lawyer, or a librarian, or something safer than risking his neck on dueling!"_

 _"Uh...Mom, is it okay if I go play with my friends?"_

 _"What? Oh...oh, yes, go ahead. Just promise me you won't play any of this Duel Monsters nonsense, okay?"_

 _"Alright, mom, I promise! No Duel Monsters."_

 _"Have a good time, then, sweetie! And make sure to pick up some painkillers, Jaden had a headache this morning."_

With a nod, Dan stepped out the door and turned right, headed for the nearby park. With his black, messy hair, muscular frame, and narrowed eyes, Dan didn't exactly cast a spitting image of his grandfather. But this was what he had to do in order to remain free of harassment.

As he continued on, he heard someone shout hello a little ways off. As he turned, he saw it was Laura Izinski, the daughter of great neurosurgeon Akiza Izinski. With her prowess in telekinetic surgery, Akiza had made herself a legacy as one of the greatest nurses of all time, on top of her fame as a legendary Signer of the Crimson Dragon. And it seemed that Laura was destined to do great things as well. Even from a young age, she was a dueling prodigy, known for her swift one hit kill Rose deck she had inherited.

 _"Ah...h-hey, Laura, how's it going?"_

 _"Oh...just fine. Been dueling a lot."_

 _"O-oh really?"_

 _"Yeah...but it's kinda boring. I never even take damage. There's no threat of losing. And...I think people are starting to avoid me."_

 _"How come?"_ Dan questioned, concerned for her well being.

 _"I guess maybe they just don't like losing all the time. Either that, or they're afraid I'll be like...my mom. Before she turned into a Signer."_

 _"You mean...return of the Black Rose? That's ridiculous, you're one of the nicest people in this city!"_

 _"Do...do you really think so?"_

 _"Of course!"_

From the corner of her eye, Dan could see a tear, crystal clear and glistening like a dewdrop, form as it fell to the ground, before she forcefully hugged Dan, refusing to let go.

 _"Thank you."_

 _"Uh...no problem."_ Dan muttered, blushing a little bit as he hugged her back.

 _ **"Well, Well, Lookie what we got here!"**_

Dan and Laura broke apart quickly and turned to face the source of the noise. The culprit was a duo of stocky boys, wearing Gatsby caps and black suits. There were only two, but they carried such a dominating presence that it seemed like they were backed up by an entire army. Even Dan stepped back a little bit, but Laura stayed where she was.

 _"What do you two dumbasses want?"_

 _ **"Nyeh...we just felt like stoppin' by and seeing our favorite little freaks. Nice sideshow entertainment on our ways to school."**_ The one on the right lazily replied.

 _ **"And well...we got our entertainment by the deckload! Dumpster Diver Dan and the witch getting all snuggly together, snogging the night away! Oh, that's rich!"**_ His partner replied.

 _"What, NO! We aren't together, it was just us hanging out!"_ Dan cut in, attempting to stand up for himself, but was forced back down by the sneers given off by his assailants.

 _ **"Oh, so you two are friends? How nice, a couple losers have found their own little corner to hide in. Well, not gonna be hiding this for long, are we? No, no, this is a momentous occasion that deserves to be shared with everyone, wouldn't you agree, Boris?"**_ __

 _ **"Nyeh, absolutely, Jack."**_ __

 _"Wait, wait, please don't tell! Please!"_ Dan moaned, grabbing onto Boris's arm before being swiftly tossed aside.

 _ **"Nyeh, grow up, sonuva bitch."**_

As the two turned to walk away, Laura felt her palms begin to glow with energy. _"'Nonononononono, please don't. Please don't work, powers...I need to figure this out myself.'"_ Laura thought, as her palms went back to normal. She cleared her throat.

 _ **"Hey! Jerks!"**_

The two stopped in their tracks, turning with murderous glares to stare at Laura.

 _"Let's settle this, right here, right now. A duel. Us against you two. If we win, you don't tell anyone. And if you win, feel free to do so. 8000 life points, shared between duelists. Agreed?"_ Laura said, confidence brimming in her face.

Boris and Jack turned to each other, staring for a few seconds, and laughed.

 _ **"Wait wait wait...lemme get this straight. You, and trash boy over there, wanna duel us?"**_

 _"Yeah, that's right."_

 _ **"I mean...normally I don't try to fight girls, especially those with witch powers, but if YOU instigate the fight...well, then, that would be an unethical conflict of interest. Wouldn't you agree, Boris?"**_

 _ **"Nyeh, sounds about right."**_

 _ **"Very well, we shall accept your terms. But how do you know we won't tell everyone no matter wha-"**_

Suddenly Laura appeared right in front of Jack and kicked him in the side, forcing the boy to recoil and clutch the injury.

 _"Because if you do, that kick won't be my last. And I might aim it somewhere else next time."_

 _ **"Okay, okay, jeez lady, cool it! We'll be upholdin' ours end of the bargain."**_ Jack reassured as he got up and took his duel disk out of his backpack, Boris following suit.

As Laura took out her disk and deck, she turned to Dan. _"You...do know how to duel, right?"_

 _"Uh..."_ Dan began, and then paused. Of course he knew how to duel. He knew the basics of life points, different modes, spells, traps, all that. But he didn't know how to play. Most of the duels he had played were against his senile grandfather, which he always won because Jaden couldn't play his cards anymore. Needless to say, he was a bit nervous.

 _"Y-yeah, I know how to play. Trust me. I won't let you down!"_ Dan smiled, thumbs up, as he took out his disk and slid his arm into it, along with his deck, which was then shuffled. Laura returned it with a smirk as she prepared her deck, secretly using telekinesis to speak with her ace monster.

 _"Alright, Black Rose Dragon. I know you still regard Akiza as your master, but we need to work together to win this. Can you handle that?"_

She heard a grunt which she interpreted as "Yes". Satisfied, she put the deck in, and it too was shuffled.

 _ **"Alright, so here's how this is gonna work. We'll take turns. You go first, witch. Then me. Then the piece of garbage over there. And finally Boris. None of us can attack on the first turn. Are you ready, or do you need mommy to step in and do your battle for you?"**_ Jack taunted.

 _"We're ready."_ Dan solemnly replied. 

_**"DUEL!"**_

 **Jack and Boris: 8000**  
 **Dan and Laura: 8000**

 _"Alright, it's my turn!"_ Laura said, as she drew her first card. Looking over her hand, she was rather pleased with the results. _"'These will do juuuust fine.'"_ Laura thought, picking one card.

 _"To kick things off, I'll summon forth Bird of Roses, in Attack Mode!"_ Laura shouted, placing the card on her disc facing forward, in order to summon forth a green bird, made of plants.

 **Bird of Roses: 1800 ATK, 1500 DEF**

 _"Next, I activate this spell card, Pot of Greed! It lets me to draw two cards from my deck, but you probably knew that, didn't you?"_ Laura sneered, drawing two cards from her deck.

 _"And finally, I place two cards face down, and my turn."_

 _ **"Pretty alright move, but it's not good enough! Seems like you learned your dueling tactics from the same place you got your ratty hairstyle. Now stand back, and watch a true pro!"**_ Jack remarked, as he drew his card.

 _ **"First off, I activate this ritual spell card, Dark Dragon Ritual! With this, I can sacrifice my Red-Eyes Wyvern to summon forth Paladin of Dark Dragon, in Attack Mode!"**_

From a swirling vortex in the sky came a knight clad in black armor.

 **Paladin of Dark Dragon: 1900 ATK, 1200 DEF**

 _ **"Now, my monster is already stronger than your overgrown weed chicken, but I think I can do a little better. So now I sacrifice my Paladin to summon the one and only...RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!"**_

The dark knight vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced with a dark light that shrouded the street in hazy blackness. Slowly, it formed into a set of claws, hooked feet, a long tail, a skinny frame, and finally a wyvern head with the titular Red Eyes.

 **Red-Eyes Black Dragon: 2400 ATK, 2000 DEF**

 _ **"Pretty scary, huh? I got this bad boy from a descendant of the legendary Joey Wheeler himself. This card led him to victory before, and it's gonna help me now."**_ Jack noted, a sinister undertone to his voice.

 _ **"**_ _Joey Wheeler was an honorable duelist. How dare you disrespect his memory!?"_ Laura cried out in outrage

 _ **"How dare me? You're not even trying to carry out Akiza's legacy! You're just some sad, freak girl with freak powers who was born by freak accident. No one wants you, and no one needs you."**_ Jack insulted, reaching to high five with Boris and laugh.

Dan looked over to see Laura on the verge of tears, so he turned back to face them, anger burning in his eyes.

 _ **"Alright, if that's how you wanna do it, then the Heart of the Cards will guide me to DESTROY YOU!"**_ Dan roared, as he pulled his card out with tremendous force, staring at it...and then drawing a blank.

 _"Uh...I...I summon Kid Junk in Attack Mode."_ Dan meekly said, as a young boy made of recycle scraps appeared.

 **Kid Junk: 300 ATK, 500 DEF**

 _"And...that's it for me."_

 _ **"That's it? You played a monster more pathetic than a hairball with no protection? This is gonna be easier than I thought!"**_ Jack responded, snickering.

 _"What are you doing? We're trying to win this, and you play that!? Have you lost your mind!?"_ Laura whispered angrily.

 _"I didn't have any good cards, OK?"_

 _ **"Nyeh heh heh, my turn!"**_ Boris chimed in. _**"I summon...Magician Ape in Attack Mode!"**_

On the field arose a bipedal ape, wielding a magician's staff with a curved end.

 **Ape Magician: 800 ATK, 1200 DEF**

 _"Hmph. Looks pretty weak."_ Laura remarked.

 _ **"Nyeh, but looks can be deceiving. Cuz now I be activatin' this spell card. Block Attack!"**_

 _"Uh-oh."_

 _ **"With this card, I change your Bird of Roses into Defense Mode!"**_

To Laura's shock, her Bird of Roses was suddenly forced to take a knee, adopting a blue color as it shifted into defense.

 _ **"Nyeh, and thanks to that, I can activate Ape Magician's special ability! By discarding my Fighter Ape from my hand, Ape Magician can take control of your birdie and bring it ovuh here! C'mon little bird, chop chop!"**_ Boris teased, as Ape Magician's staff glowed. Suddenly, Bird of Roses' eyes glowed red as it turned to face Laura before edging back to stand alongside Magician Ape.

 _ **"Nyeh, I'd like to attack your life points righ' now, but it's still the first turn. So I be fixin to lay down two facedowns. But come next round and your piece o' scrap metal is headin' back to its junkyard!"**_ __

 _"Then you'll have to try harder!"_ Laura countered, drawing her next card.

 _"'This isn't good. On their side, they've got the freaking Red-Eyes Black Dragon, a monster that can possess our monsters, and my Bird of Roses, along with a couple facedowns. We've got my facedowns...and a piece of junk with 300 Attack. Not the best way to start a duel...but maybe we can make this work.'"_

 _"First I summon Witch of the Black Rose from my hand!"_ Laura called out, as a small witch with purple hair and rose themed attire appeared on the field.

 **Witch of the Black Rose: 1700 ATK, 1200 DEF**

 _ **"Hmph, guess it makes sense a witch would keep some disreputable company."**_ Jack commented.

 _"Well, this company allows me to make it a trio! By activating the witch's effect, I draw a card. And if it's a monster, my friend gets to stay on the field! I just hope my deck is good to me."_ Laura said, a bit nervous as she drew.

Then she smiled. _"And my faith rewards me with Dark Verger, a Plant Monster!"_

 _ **"So you drew a monster. You still can't summon it!"**_

 _"Actually, I can. Reveal Facedown Card! Ultimate Offering! By paying 500 Life Points, I get to normal summon once more! And since this is a continuous trap, the magic can keep happening over and over and over again, but we'll get to that later. First my Dark Verger gets summoned!"_

 **Dan and Laura: 7500**  
 **Jack and Boris: 8000**

As Laura and Dan's Life Points decreased, Dark Verger was summoned to the field in Defense Mode.

 **Dark Verger: 0 ATK, 1000 DEF**

 _ **"Huh...well, maybe you're not such a bad duelist after all, honey."**_

 _ **"Excuse me!? You know what, I'm gonna make this next attack hurt extra hard! I now tune my Level 2 Dark Verger with my Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose, to Synchro Summon...Splendid Rose!"**_

Witch of the Black Rose dissolved into 4 green rings, while Dark Verger turned into two orbs of light, going between the rings to create a massive green laser blast, and from out of it came a man dressed in plant costume, along with a rose eyepatch.

 **Splendid Rose: 2200 ATK, 2000 DEF**

Jack looked surprised for a moment, but then his eyes narrowed, and he smirked. _**"You know, I was almost worried for a minute. But your monster's still a few points short. And even if it wasn't, we have a little backup plan of our own."**_

He nodded to Boris, who nodded back. _**"Nyeh, take this, the trap Discord Counter!"**_ __

 _"D-Discord Counter? What's that?"_ Dan questioned.

 _ **"Slept through that class, eh? Discord Counter not only returns your Synchro to the deck, but summons the monsters used to Synchro. And then, you're not allowed to summon any new monsters until the End Phase of YOUR next turn."**_ __

 _"Yes, yes, I'm quite aware of that. Bit of a shame your big bad trap won't work."_ Laura smirked. _"Reveal Trap Jammer!"_

 _ **"WHAT!?"**_ __

 _"It's true. Trap Jammer stops your Discord Counter from countering anything as soon as I discard."_ Laura explained, already depositing a card from her hand to the Graveyard as Discord Counter disappeared.

 _"And now that that's done...Splendid Rose, attack Red-Eyes!"_

 _ **"Red-Eyes? You fool, don't you know Red Eyes is the stronger monster?"**_

 _"It's called a special ability. Learn it, live it, love it. By banishing Witch of the Black Rose from my graveyard, my Splendid Rose cuts your Red-Eyes down to size. Half its size. Now go!"_

Splendid Rose's whip lashed out, striking Red Eyes twice to lower its strength to 1200 ATK.

 _"And now, Splendid Rose, attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Whip Leaf Storm!"_

 _ **"Nyeh, Not so fast, reveal Trap Card! Negate Attack!"**_

Suddenly, a vortex appeared in front of Splendid Rose's whip, stopping the attack and saving Red Eyes as Boris's trap dissipated.

 _ **"So yous see? We's always one step ahead of yous, fools!"**_ Boris taunted.

 _"Dammit...I lay one card facedown and end my turn._

 _ **"And of course, now that the turn is over, my Red-Eyes gets its full strength back. Tough break, eh?"**_ Jack remarked as Red-Eyes stood up and roared loudly as its attack returned to 2400.

 _ **"And now..."**_ Jack continued, drawing his card, _**"Red-Eyes, attack Kid Junk! Inferno Fire Blast!"**_

A ball of red energy formed in Red-Eyes mouth, which he fired at Kid Junk, atomizing the poor automaton on the spot. However, the attack continued on, smashing into Dan and sending the young duelist into the wall.

 **Dan and Laura: 5400**  
 **Jack and Boris: 8000**

 _ **"DAN!"**_ Laura yelled, as the boy struggled to get to his feet.

 _"I'm...I'm fine._

 _ **"For now, but if you think your torment is over because my turn is done, think again! But don't worry...you'll have plenty of time to ruminate with this facedown card. He'll be your friend and guide into defeat."**_ Jack said as he placed a card down.

 _"Alright, my turn!"_ Dan interjected as he drew another card. _"'Damn, that last attack was devastating. And it wouldn't have happened if I set my field better. I gotta remember that Laura's relying on me, cuz if I go, she goes. I just gotta play smarter, not harder. But hey, this hand is REALLY good. I think I got something going here..."'_

 _"Alright, first I'll summon Paternal Junk in Attack Mode!"_ said Dan as another junk sculpture appeared, this one dressed like a father.

 **Paternal Junk: 1600 ATK, 1200 DEF**

 _"Next, I'll use my partner's Ultimate Offering, paying 500 Life Points to summon Maternal Junk as well!"_

 **Dan and Laura: 4900**  
 **Jack and Boris: 8000**

As their life points decreased, a female Junk emerged as well, standing next to Paternal Junk.

 **Maternal Junk: 300 ATK, 1500 DEF**

 _"Next, I activate Maternal Junk's ability, placing Kid Junk back into my hand, so Ultimate Offering can summon it back to the field!"_

 **Dan and Laura: 4400**  
 **Jack and Boris: 8000**

Once again, the young junk emerged to join his family.

 _"And now that Maternal Junk and Kid Junk are on the field, Paternal Junk's instincts to protect his family boosts his attack power to 3100 Points!"_

 **Paternal Junk: 1600-3100 ATK**

 _"But I'm not done. Now I activate the Junk Factory Field Spell!"_ Dan shouted as he placed the card into a newly revealed slot on his duel disk, causing the surrounding environment to become a trash wasteland.

 _"You may laugh at my junk, assholes, but it boosts my Junk monsters' attack by 500 points!"_

 **Maternal Junk: 300-800 ATK**  
 **Paternal Junk: 3100-3600 ATK**  
 **Kid Junk: 300-800 ATK**

 _ **"Wow...that is a lot of points."**_

 _ **"AND NOW I'M GONNA USE ALL OF 'EM! Paternal Junk, attack Red-Eyes, with Junk Smash!"**_

But as Paternal Junk was rearing its fist back to attack...

 _ **"Nyeh, Facedown Card Go! Ring of Destruction! Now it'll attach to your monster and hit both our sides with 3600 Power packed points of damage! Tough break, huh?"**_ Boris jeered, as a red ring attached itself to Paternal Junk.

 _"That's risky, though. Damaging yourselves so much..."_

 _ **"Oh, WE won't be taking any damage...thanks to this beauty! Ring of Defense!"**_

A green ring appeared in front of Boris and Jack, spinning rapidly.

 _ **"With this bad boy, all effect damage coming our way is negated. Sayonara."**_

 _"Hmph, I was waiting for that!"_

 _ **"What?"**_

 _"People always play those two cards together, so I had a counter. Go, Spell Transfer!"_

And with that, the Ring of Defense transferred to Laura's side, spinning rapidly in the face of Paternal Junk.

 _"Say goodbye to 3600 Life Points, boys."_

Paternal Junk exploded, sending Boris and Jack flying several feet away while Ring of Defense shielded Laura and Dan from the intense wind force.

 **Dan and Laura: 4400**  
 **Boris and Jack: 4400**

 _"Well, look at that. Seems like we're all tied up again, thanks to you guys!"_ Laura explained, smiling as the two opponents struggled to get to their feet.

 _ **"Alright, ya got lucky, but luck won't last forever!"**_ __

 _"Luck? No, it took skill to bring out a monster that powerful and anticipate your moves so we could counter them. You're just disappointed you couldn't do the same. But it's too late now. We've got a momentum and we're not stopping, so get ready to feel the pain!"_

 _"And while she does that, I'm gonna throw down a facedown!"_ Dan chimed in, the card materializing on the field.

 _ **"Nyeh...alright, so you got one good move. But thanks to this card I'm now holding..."**_ Boris chuckled, _**"I'll end this duel in one blow!"**_ __

 _"What?"_ Dan and Laura said in unison.

 _ **"You see, the card I'm now holding once ravaged New Domino City before being stopped by the one known as Yusei Fudo. But now, I have resurrected it, in the palm of my hand!"**_

 _"Uh...Boris, are you feelin' alright?"_

 _ **"Yes. But very soon you won't. For now I sacrifice your Bird of Roses and my Ape Magician to summon forth the one, the only, the almighty...EARTHBOUND IMMORTAL CUSILLU!"**_

 _"Wait, hang on a second. Did he say_ _ **EARTHBOUND IMMORTAL!?"**_ Laura cried out in shock.

Unfortunately, the answer was a resounding "yes". High in the sky, a shrine idol appeared, beating like a heart, a dark heart. Suddenly, purple streaks of energy from all over the Satellite flew into the idol, seemingly powering it up.

 _"Wh-what's happening?"_ Laura screamed.

 _"I heard about this from my grandfather's stories! This Earthbound Immortal is stealing souls! Just like when the Dark Signers ravaged the city!"_ Jaden responded.

 _ **"That is correct! If only you were as good of a duelist as you are an audience member, Dan!"**_ Boris yelled, as the stone idol began to glow a bright purple.

 _ **"Jack, you've gotta stop this right now! It's the only way the souls will come back! Call off your friend!"**_ Dan roared.

 _"I...I can't! I don't know why he's doing this! This wasn't part of the pla-"_

 _ **"Stop him, NOW!"**_ __

 _"O-okay!"_ as he turned to face Boris, who fixed him with a look of utter contempt.

 _"Uh...hey, man, you think maybe you should sto-"_

Right then and there, Jack was hit was a magic blast that sent him sprawling to the ground, unmoving.

 _"J...Jack?"_

He got up.

 _"Are you okay?"_

Silence for a few seconds. Then he turned, and his eyes now glowed black, with flecks of gold.

 _ **"Fools. There is no longer a Jack. There is only...the Earthbound Immortal."**_ _ ****_

 _ **"Release Him!"**_ Laura demanded.

 _ **"Of course, if you manage to win, I will release my hold on your...acquaintances. However, should you lose, your souls will be swallowed up by the Immortal, and remain there for the rest of your days!"**_ __

 _"Well...that's a pleasant thought."_ Dan sarcastically remarked, Laura chuckling.

 _ **"Now that that's settled, behold my Earthbound Immortal!"**_

The seal cracked, and out of it came an enormous black monkey, covered in yellow sigils.

 **Earthbound Immortal Cusillu: 2800 ATK, 2400 DEF**

 _ **"Oh, and by the way, thanks ever so much for the field spell. Without it, I never would have been able to keep this on the field."**_ __

 _"Dammit."_

 _ **"And now...Earthbound Immortal Cusillu, attack Dan directly!**_ __

 _"Wait, what? But I have monsters out!"_ Dan countered.

 _ **"True, but Cusillu's power is so mighty that it simply bypasses your defenses and strikes you. I told you Cusillu was all-powerful!"**_

Dan didn't have time to process this before Cusillu's mighty fist slammed into his body, forming a giant crater in the ground.

 **Dan and Laura: 1600**  
 **Earthbound Immortal Cusillu: 4400**

 _"That...that was rough. But it gives me the chance to...ow...activate this spell. Damage Draw! It lets me draw two cards in order to refresh my hand."_ Dan gasped, as he drew two cards. One of them immediately caught his eye, a card with a picture of a green dragon on it.

 _"'What the hell...I didn't put this card in my deck!'"_ Dan thought, confused, before he was suddenly surrounded by a blinding flash of light.

When he came to, he was in a mysterious castle, in the countryside. He looked around in an attempt to find signs of life, but there was no one.

 _"Hello...?_ _ **HELLO?"**_ Dan called, with no answer.

Yet in the middle of the room, Dan could make out the faint outline of a large beast, the same one that was on the card.

 _"'Yes...'"_ said a mysterious voice.

 _"'Huh...who's there? And are you talking in my mind? This is weird...'"_

 _"'I'm glad you caught on fast, because it doesn't get easier from here. Human, I need your assistance.'"_

 _"'Can I expect to get out of here if I do that?'"_

 _"'Yes, and with a better understanding on the Earthbound Immortals and their allies.'"_

 _"'...Alright, what do I do?'"_

 _"'Concentrate. Focus on my image on that card you have, and shape this outline into it. Use your supreme mental focus.'"_

 _"'Okay, if you insist...'"_ Dan muttered, as he focused hard. Slowly, the outline began filling itself in, piece by piece, until at last Dan was facing an enormous green dragon, with clawed hands and no wings.

 _ **"I...am Rayquaza. And I thank you, human, for rescuing me from my imprisonment."**_ __

 _"Okay, now I'm really happy I did this!"_ Dan said, smiling and thinking how awesome it would be to control a dragon.

 _ **"Before I send you back, I must tell you a few things...**_

 _ **First, do you know the legend of the Crimson Dragon?"**_

 _"Yeah. 5 signers are chosen every 5,000 years and given signer marks, along with a signer dragon. Until this time around, where a 6th signer was chosen and given the Crimson Dragon Heart. But...it's way too early to choose new signers, isn't it?"_

 _ **"Normally, yes. But this is a dire situation we find ourselves in. The Crimson Dragon has been weakened by a new power, one even beyond my comprehension. All the threats of the Dark Signers and Meklords have risen once more to destroy us, and time has come once again for new Signers. However, the signers dragons are not enough this time. We will also need the help of the powerful weather trio."**_

 _"Where do we find them?"_

 _ **"You have already found one of them, myself. The other two are known as Groudon and Kyogre. The former is found in a place of the deepest earth. The latter in a cave below the deepest ocean trench. Find them both, and they will show the way."**_

 _"How can I do that alone? What about my family?"_

 _ **"You will not have to worry about this for some time. You can wish your family goodbye. You will hopefully return to them when it is done. As for being alone, I did tell you there would be new Signers, did I not?"**_

 _"So...I have to track down the Signers, their dragons, and these weather trio cards? How do I find the Signers?"_

 _ **"You show them this."**_

Suddenly, Dan felt a searing pain in his arm, and as he looked at it, he could see a mark was now etched into his skin, the mark of the Dragon Head.

 _ **"When the new generation of Signers see this, they will know their destiny."**_

 _ **"This...is...AWESOME!"**_ Dan cheered.

 _ **"Alright. Now you must go, back to the battle, and finish off this Cusillu. You will do it, or all is lost..."**_

And in another flash of light, Dan was back in the battle, no time lost.

 _"Uh...Dan, are you okay?"_

 _"Y-yeah. Let's just keep going, I think we can still win this."_

 _"Are you sure? That Cusillu looks pretty big."_

 _"Just trust in the heart of the cards, and we can do it."_

 _ **"Hmph. If you still think you can triumph, then I will finish by laying one card on the floor."**_ __

 _"Alright...I draw!"_ Laura yelled, her voice quavering a bit as she looked at it.

 _"I summon the tuner monster Copy Plant in Attack Mode!"_

Onto the field came a short stack of ivy.

 **Copy Plant: 0 ATK, 0 DEF**

 _ **"And now, I tune my level 1 Copy Plant with my Level 6 Splendid Rose to Synchro Summon my most powerful monster, the BLACK ROSE DRAGON!"**_ __

 _"'Black Rose? That's a Signer Dragon...maybe she's a Signer!'"_ Dan thought, as he witnessed a purple beam descend from the sky, revealing a black dragon with red, flowery scales and thorns ready to pierce whatever unfortunate monster came too close.

 **Black Rose Dragon: 2400 ATK, 1800 DEF**

 _ **"That's it?"**_ Boris/Cusillu said in mock disbelief. _**"You go through all the trouble of unleashing your ace monster, and it can't even compete with my Cusillu and just barely ties with this pathetic Red Eyes Black Dragon!"**_

 _ **"You haven't seen my monster's special ability yet. You see, by removing the Copy Plant in my grave from play, I can lower your mighty Red-Eyes' attack points to 0. Observe."**_

The spirit of Copy Plant rose into the air in front of Black Rose, which chomped down on it before unleashing its thorns, spearing the mighty black dragon all over and lowering its offense to a miserable nil.

 _"Now, Black Rose Dragon, attack that Red-Eyes! Go Black Rose Gale!"_

With that, Black Rose unleashed a mighty windstorm assault, which slammed into Red-Eyes and disintegrated it on the spot.

 **Dan and Laura: 1600**  
 **Boris and Jack/Cusillu: 2000**

 _ **"UUURRRRAAAGGGH!"**_ Cusillu shrieked as it lost life points, allowing for Jack to briefly clear his mind and weakly say _"Help..."_ before his eyes glowed purple with possession once again.

 _"I set two cards facedown. That's it for me."_

 _ **"And now, I'll end you!"**_ Jack yelled as he drew, using the same hand to point at Laura

 _ **"Earthbound Cusillu, destroy her and end this duel!"**_

 _ **"NOO!"**_ Dan yelled, but it was too late. Cusillu's attack collided with Laura, sending her down into defeat...

...yet why was she still standing?

 _ **"Impossible! You should be wiped out!"**_

 _"Yes, I should be. But I had a trap. Nutrient Z! It only activates when I take more than 2000 points of damage, and it gives us an extra 4000 Life Points, just before your attack hit."_

 **Dan and Laura: 1600-5600-2800**

 _ **"This isn't over! I activate my trap card, Desperate Battle! By cutting my Cusillu's strength by 1000, it can attack again! Strike once more, Cusillu!"**_

 **Dan and Laura: 1000**  
 **Cusillu: 2000**

 _ **"And with that...I shall end my turn. And next round I'll end this duel!"**_ __

 _"Then I'll just have to win this round!"_ Dan shouted, as he drew his card.

 _ **"'No more thinking! Time to ACT!'"**_

 _ **"I sacrifice all three of my Junk Monsters to summon the mighty ruler of the skies, the dragon that has existed since the world was young, the all-powerful RAYQUAZA!"**_

From the card emerged the same green dragon from Dan's vision, ready to strike

 **Rayquaza, Master of the Skies: 5000 ATK, 3000 DEF**

 _ **"That thing, it's...enormous!"**_ Boris said in awe.

 _ **"Next I activate another Block Attack, switching your monster into defense mode!"**_

 _ **"And I activate Big Bang Shot and equip it to Rayquaza!"**_ Laura yelled, as the card surrounded Rayquaza in a red aura.

 _"Now Rayquaza gains 400 Attack, and when it attacks defense monsters, it pierces right through and deals the difference between your defense and my attack as damage! Now go Rayquaza, use Dragon Ascent!"_

Rayquaza soared high into the sky, flying all the way to the moon in a second, before turning around and leering at the giant monkey below.

 _ **"NO! Do you realize what this means, fool!?"**_

 _"As a matter of fact, I do. Rayquaza has 5400 Attack. Your monkey has 2400 Defense. Meaning that as soon as I launch this attack, you lose 3000 points, and that's more than enough. This duel is over!"_

At that moment, Rayquaza burst through the cloud layer and pierced right through Cusillu like tissue paper, leaving an enormous hole in the beast in its wake. Defeated Cusillu toppled to the ground, unmoving, before slowly dissolving, dispersing into the souls that had fused to create it as they went back to their rightful owners.

 **Dan and Laura: 1000**  
 **Jack and Boris: 0000**

 _ **"NOOOOOO!"**_ The remnant of Cusillu roared as it was finally defeated, dropping the two boys onto the ground. Laura ran up to Boris and picked him up by the shirt.

 _"Tell me where you got that Cusillu card,_ _ **NOW!**_ _Who gave it to you?"_

 _"Cusi-what? What are you talking about?"_

 _"This card right...here...hey, where'd it go?"_

Dan walked over and examined the deck. Sure enough, the Cusillu card was nowhere to be seen.

 _"Maybe since they lost, its malice was finally cleansed...?"_

 _"Maybe...but I get the feeling this won't be the last Immortal we see. We should be ready."_

 _"Yeah...but I gotta say, that Rayquaza card of yours saved our necks. What is it, anyway? I've never seen anything like it before."_

 _"Look, I'll tell you everything, but...not now. I gotta get home and help my folks. Tomorrow we'll meet in the park and I'll explain it all."_

 _"Okay...but what do we do with these idiots?"_

 _"I think the whole experience is more than enough punishment, and they probably forgot the deal. Let's just get them down to the police station, and have them bring them home."_

 _"Seems like you're being a little too generous, but OK."_

And so the two of them, mostly Dan since Laura didn't want to work, pushed the two unconscious bodies to the station, leaving a note about how they needed to get home, and started walking back.

When they finally got back to Laura's, the two faced each other, and gave the other a hug of good-bye.

 _"Tomorrow, remember that!"_ Laura reprimanded.

 _"Okay, okay, I'll remember."_

Satisfied, Laura stepped inside, and Dan raced back home, opening the door with joyful stride.

 _"Dan, did you get the medicine I asked for?"_

 _ **"SHIIIIIIIT!"**_


	2. Chapter 2: Pondering over Pizza

Dan was frustrated.

For the entire night, all he could do was toss and turn on his back over a hundred times, before getting up and pacing around his cramped room, staring at the card he had been gifted with out of nowhere, and wondering why the hell he had chosen to accept some godforsaken prophecy from some windbag dragon.

 _"Yeah, sure, great idea, idiot! Just listen to any random mythical creature you find on the street! Next I'll be saving Jupiter from evil space bunnies because a purple unicorn told me to!"_ Dan quietly ranted as he threw the card back onto his bedside table and jumped back into bed again. But every time he fell asleep, all he saw was enormous, black shadows with colored accents, that reshaped themselves over and over, first into monkeys, then orcas, then spiders, then horned devils.

So by the time Dan got out of bed at 5:30 in the morning, he was an absolute wreck, with about a thousand bags hanging from his eyes. Even his bags had bags. And he swore he had sweat in his...unmentionables. Wait, was that even sweat!?

Not choosing to dwell on it any longer, Dan brushed his teeth and washed his face to relieve himself of drowsiness, before descending to the kitchen below. His mom was gone, presumably off at one of her jobs, so Dan sighed and got out a jar of grape jelly, peanut butter, and wheat toast, making himself a sandwich like he did every morning nowadays.

As he sat at the kitchen table munching his breakfast, downing a glass of cold milk simultaneously, he could feel the silence, tinged with a palpable sense of eeriness and mild dread. Even the air seemed to still. Whatever it was, it just wasn't right.

And yet he continued his daily routine, washing his dishes, cleaning up after their feisty cat, and checking to make sure Jaden had his supply of medicine still available. It was tedious work, but necessary if they wanted to keep living in some semblance of comfort.

On his way to school that day, Dan tried to clear his head of thoughts and enjoy the day, but his efforts were in vain. He could feel the niggling thoughts of death and foresight clouding his judgement, and at one point he simply gave up and tried to deal with the negative feelings for the rest of the day. Not that it was necessarily challenging, considering everyone left him alone. Apparently, news about his incredible victory traveled fast. They weren't rushing to give him pats on the back or exclamations of "good job!", but at least they weren't calling him Dumpster Diver Dan anymore.

He scanned his eyes over the drab vista until he caught glimpse of Laura sitting by herself in the corner of the yard. Clearly everyone was still a little spooked by her powers, considering the 50 yard berth they gave her.

Taking his chances, Dan sat next to her, giving a tentative "hello" as he got to work on his history project. It took a minute or so, but Laura finally worked up the nerve to respond with a halfhearted "hey."

 _"So...how you holdin' up?"_ Dan whispered.

 _"Not great. That whole...that duel with those guys was crazy. You were sucking, and then you disappeared, and then you came back, and then you turned the whole game around. Duelists don't just do that. Only people like Yusei, or your grandpa. So what's going on?"_

 _"Well...that's kinda tricky to explain. I'm not even sure I get half of it. But from what I can tell...it was part of some sort of...prophecy. Something about the 'end of the world' and 'legendary monsters'..."_ Dan replied.

 _"You mean like...the Sacred Beasts?"_

 _"No. More powerful. They control the entire planet when gathered together, and can either destroy it, or save it. Personally, I'd prefer the latter."_

Laura chuckled. _"Yeah, living does sound like a nice option. But how are you going to do this? You can't exactly get a plane and fly to some mysterious card in the middle of nowhere."_

 _"That's the thing. The voice told me that there would be others who would help out. The 'rebirth of the Signers'. So there must be 5 others besides me, and..."_

 _"Don't say it. I'm one of them, aren't I?"_

After a brief pause, Dan slowly nodded. _"And your Black Rose must be your Signer Dragon."_

 _"Figures...Mom always was super protective of this stupid card. Now I know why. It still has a purpose."_

 _"Mmhmm."_

 _"Okay, so we got two Signers, and one dragon. We gotta find yours first before we do anything else, right?"_

 _"Actually..."_ Dan muttered sheepishly, before producing another card from his pocket, the **Stardust Dragon.**

 _"What the hell? How did you get Stardust Dragon!? That's Yusei's-"_

 _"I know, I know, but he gave it to me. Said I had the heart of a true duelist and that this card would 'guide my way'. Guess he must know the future or some shit."_

Suddenly, the bell rang, and all the students began streaming through the doors to get to their classes.

 _"Welp, guess that's the cue to leave. Listen, maybe we should...talk about our battle strategy. Wanna meet me at Pizzarriba after school?"_ Dan offered.

 _"You mean...like a date?"_ Laura responded, blushing a little.

 _"What, no! Just...you know, normal battle plan stuff. As friends, right?"_

 _"Oh...yeah. As friends. Of course, we should just stay friends. You know, cuz trying to be more is just...it's not the right time, I guess, we're not ready."_

 _"Y-yeah, exactly..."_

At that point they just stared in awkward silence, kicking up dust and struggling to find something else to say. _"So...guess I'll be...going to class now."_ Dan said.

 _"Yeah..."_ Laura sighed, as she picked up her knapsack and hurriedly rushed inside, Dan following close behind before they turned down different hallways, silently waving goodbye to each other.

Throughout the entire dueling exercise on the Genex archetype, Dan could hardly focus. As he summoned his Windmill Genex to destroy Quick Draw Synchron, all his mind could concentrate on was his meeting with Laura after school. Sure, he said it wasn't a date, but...was that really true? Could he remain professional all throughout the day? Could he separate his totally platonic feelings for Laura from the mission?

 _"Yeah. Yeah, I can do this. Just gotta keep a cool head. Play it ice cold..."_ Dan muttered to himself as he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked a few miles down the road into the nicer part of the Satellite, bursting with shops, restaurants, and gaudy merch stands. Weaving his way through the bustling and anxious crowd, Dan finally saw his target: Pizzarriba, the most successful Spanish/Italian restaurant in the city. Normally, it was impossible to get in without some prior reservation, but thankfully it was mostly deserted today, as Dan quietly ducked inside.

Only one table was occupied, patiently saved by Laura as she tapped her fingers on the table in a rhythmic pattern. Dan couldn't be sure, but he swore that she was playing _Every Rose has its Thorn._

Clearing his throat, Dan shyly sat opposite of her and gave another quick "hello", which she was much more eager to acknowledge this time.

 _"Alright, we should probably eat first, and then discuss the plan. Sound cool?"_ Dan offered.

 _"Definitely."_

 _"You have anything in mind?"_

 _"Uh...no, that's okay, you order for me."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Yes! God..."_

 _"Okay..."_ Dan replied, confused, as he flipped through the menu options as the waiter came up and filled their glasses to the brim with sparkling, ice cold water.

 _"Are you ready to ordeur, monsieur?"_

 _"Ah, yes. I'll have the Meatball Pot-a-Feu, and the lady will have the Shrimp Scampi."_ Dan suggested.

 _"Ah, bon choix, monsieur! I'll have it out-a shortly."_ The pompous waiter bowed as he entered the kitchen, leaving the two alone.

 _"Alright, so, from what I remember about what the dragon in my vision told me, it said something about Groudon being in the deepest cave and Kyogre being below the deepest ocean trench...got any ideas?"_ Dan posited.

 _"Well...deepest trench has gotta be the Mariana Trench. That bad boy is over 11,000 meters deep. Most submarines would blow up from aquatic pressure before reaching the bottom."_

 _"Sounds...painful. How about the cave?"_

 _"Krubera. Located in Abkhazia. Not a lot of people have returned, and most that do end up as skeletons."_

 _"Well...if we go underground there's a higher chance we could make it. So maybe we should head there first, and then try to find a way to get underwater. Maybe if we have Groudon's power and mix it with Ray's, it can help clear the water away or something. Best option we got."_

It was around this time when the food was finally delivered, a pepperoni pizza for Dan and shrimp scampi for Laura.

 _"Excuse me, but I think I ordered the Meatball Pot."_

 _"Ah, mon mistake, monsieur, mais we do not have the meatball pot as of right now. Perhaps you can...make do, as they say?"_

 _"Yes, yes, it's fine. Thank you."_

 _"My apologies."_ The waiter offered, as he went back into the kitchen.

As they ate, they continued to talk. _"So, do you have any ideas on who the other Signers could be?"_ Laura asked.

 _"Well, Rayquaza told me that when I got close to them, this mark would glow."_ Dan answered, showing her his mark of the Dragon Head.

Suddenly, Laura's arm glowed too, and she pulled back her shirt to see another mark, the Dragon's Foot.

From within the kitchen, the waiter noticed the red glow and gasped, muffling it just in time as he slipped under the counter before they saw him.

 _"Okay, so what do we do then? Walk around and flash our tattoos at everyone until one of them lights up? You know how crazy we'll look?"_ Laura ranted.

 _"Well...I don't know, there must be something we can do...wait, Yusei!"_

 _"What about him?"_

 _"He's a head researcher for the Ener-D network! And he's a former Signer! Maybe he can make some kind of Signer finding radar and help us!"_

 _"You really think that'll work?"_

 _"It's worth a shot, right?"_

 _"Well...we don't have anything else to lose. And we should probably gather a couple Signers before we get going."_

 _"Great!"_

 _"But, Dan...what about our parents?"_

 _"Rayquaza told me it'll be...taken care of. We can say goodbye and everything before we go."_

 _"Right...I just hope they won't be too worried."_

 _"If this all works, we'll be world saving heroes! They'll be too proud to be angry at us for leaving, right?"_

 _"Yeah, I guess that's true."_

The two finished eating and split the bill using their chores money, before stepping out of the booth simultaneously, coming face to face, their noses just an inch apart.

 _"Oh...uh, sorry!"_ Dan apologized.

 _"It's okay, really..."_ Laura reassured, as the atmosphere slowed to a crawl. Their lips were almost touching as they leaned in-

 _"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the store is closed. You will have to leave."_ The waiter ordered.

 _"Sorry, sorry!"_ Laura cowered, as she and Dan exited the shop and turned to run home together, the waiter watching from the door. When he was sure they were out of earshot, he pulled out a phone and began speaking into it.

 _"Yeah, there were a couple kids in here. Definitely Signers, they had the marks and everything."_

 _"'Good. Very good...'"_ said an unknown voice from the other line.

 _"Should I take them out now?"_

 _"'No...they may be useful. Did you catch where they were going?'"_

 _"Yeah. Going to meet Yusei Fudo tomorrow. Something about making some sort of Signer radar in order to track down the new bunch of brats bestowed with those cursed symbols."_

 _"'Excellent...we can be rid of three foolish Signers in one fell swoop. Once they are disposed of, there will be nothing stopping our alliance from bringing this world to its knees!'"_

 _"Indeed...Master."_


End file.
